BLACKJACK GAME WITH INNOVATIVE BONUS WAGER

Abstract

This invention presents methods for playing live and electronic Blackjack-style games with an optional side wager incorporating a bonus or Jackpot feature. The essence of the instant invention is the making of a side bet in the game of Blackjack where the player making the side bet is wagering that he or she will be dealt combinations of Aces and Face Cards where Face Cards are defined as Kings, Queens, and Jacks. Additional payouts can be achieved by receiving and splitting Aces. Further payouts can be achieved by obtaining splits that are suited, of the same color, or matched. This invention presents the opportunity for a unique combination of significant payouts for the player, increased revenue for the casino, and relative simplicity while retaining the basic nature of Blackjack.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

FEDERAL RESEARCH STATEMENT

None

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to Blackjack-style games and more particularly to methods for playing live and electronic Blackjack-style games with an optional bonus wager incorporating a bonus or Jackpot feature.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art reveals a multitude of live and electronic casino card games wherein one or more players are dealt or assemble hands of cards and compete against a hand representing a dealer's hand. One of the most common and popular of such casino card games is the game of Blackjack, which is also referred to as “21.” In the card game of Blackjack, each player makes a wager and the dealer deals two cards to each player to define an initial holding and two cards to himself defining a dealer's initial holding. The cards may be dealt from a single, standard deck of fifty-two playing cards, or from a “shoe” containing multiple decks of cards. The cards to the player(s) may be dealt Face up or Face down. For the dealer, in the traditional game, one of the dealer's cards in his initial holding is turned Face up, which is often referred to as the “up” card, and the other card is dealt Face down, which is often referred to as the “hole” card. In the traditional game of Blackjack, the cards have the following arithmetic value:

TABLE 1
Card  Value
Ace   1 or 11 (at player's option)
King  10
Queen 10
Jack  10
2-10  card Face value

Each player, in turn, has the opportunity to complete his or her hand in a manner well known in the prior art. The object of the game is for the player to assemble a final hand which (1) has a higher numerical count value than the dealer's final hand without the value exceeding a predetermined target value which, in traditional Blackjack, is 21. In this regard each player may generally exercise the following options:

1. Receiving no additional cards (i.e. “stand”) thereby making the value of the initial holding the player's final holding;
2. Being dealt additional cards (taking “hits”) in order to attempt to achieve or come close to the predetermined target value but at the same time not exceeding the predetermined target value;
3. Doubling the value of his or her initial wager (i.e. “doubling down”) in accordance with the casino's rules;
4. Splitting card pairs of the initial holding into two hands and playing each hand separately;
5. Stopping play of his or her hand (i.e. “surrendering”) and giving up half their wager as permitted and governed by casino rules; and/or.
6. Taking insurance by wagering an amount equal to their game wager and if the dealer has a “Blackjack” or “natural” (initial holding composed of an Ace and a Ten-value card), the player wins 2:1 and therefore, basically, does not win or lose.

Once all the players have completed their hands, the dealer does so as well by taking hits or standing according to the house rules. A variation included in those rules is that the dealer may be required to stand on a “soft 17” (i.e., a hand numerical count of 17 including an Ace which counts as a 1 or an 11). Other rules require the dealer to hit a soft 17.

If a player exceeds the target value of “21”, he or she loses the wager regardless of whether the dealer also exceeds the target value. This is so because the players complete their hands first. If the player's hand does not exceed the target value and (1) his hand has a value exceeding the dealer or (2) the dealer exceeds the target value, the player wins and is paid 1:1 on his or her game wager. If the dealer does not exceed the target value and his hand has a greater value than the player's final hand, the player loses his or her wager. If the player's and the dealer's final hand values are the same, it is a tie (or “push”) and the player neither wins nor loses.

The prior art also reveals computerized games wherein the computer generally assumes the role of the dealer and competes against a player or players. The prior art also reveals hand held, electronic Blackjack.

The rules of traditional Blackjack are somewhat limiting in that the most a player can win is a 3:2 award (i.e. 150% of original wager) which occurs when the player has a natural (i.e. Ace and a ten value card) and the dealer does not have a natural. Therefore, several variations of traditional Blackjack have been developed whereby the potential payouts for players have been increased (thereby making the games more attractive to players) while at the same time increasing potential revenue for the casino.

For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,981 to Ko, a method for playing Blackjack with a side wager is disclosed. The player wins or loses based upon (1) the dealer's hand exceeding the target value and (2) various parameters involving the dealer's hand and/or the player's hand.

Another example is shown in Griffiths, U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,579. In Griffiths, there is disclosed a Blackjack side wager “21 or over”. The player making this side wager is betting that the dealer will either “bust” (i.e. exceed the value of 21) or achieve exactly a hand count of 21 with 3 or more cards. When the dealer has either busted or achieved an exact hand count of 21, the player is paid according to predetermined odds of 1:1, 3:2 or 2:1. A significant drawback to this wager is the low payoff odds which limit the attractiveness of the game to the player.

There are many Blackjack side wagers that pay much higher payoffs. One such game is known as Lucky Ladies where the top payoff odds are 1000:1 if the player has a hand of a pair of Queens of hearts and the dealer has blackjack. Thus “21 or over” won't be enticing or exciting enough for the players. The reason “21 or over” cannot pay odds more than 2:1 is that its hit frequency (probability of the occurrence during play) of 36% is too high. In a “Blackjack game dealt from 6 decks with the “dealer hits a soft 17” rule, a dealer will bust 28.58% of his hands and achieve a count of 21 7.49% of the time. Since the odds are only 1.78:1 against winning a bet with a hit frequency of 36%, there is no way the casino can pay odds higher than 1.78:1, and even with a dealer hand count of 21 being a push, 2.24:1 would be the highest odds the casino can pay without incurring a loss.

Another example is shown in Keller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,575, where several side wagers are disclosed, one of which allows the player to bet that the dealer will go bust. When the dealer busts, the player is paid at 5:2 (i.e., 2.5:1) odds. Again, like “21 or over”, the payoff odds for the side wager are unattractive. Furthermore, since the odds against the dealer going bust are only 2.499:1, the casino won't have an advantage if the side wager is paid 2.5:1. Thus the casino would not have a profit motive for hosting a game with such a side wager.

In Forte, U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,998, there is disclosed a side wager that rewards the player if the number of consecutive dealer bust hands has exceeded a predetermined dealer bust event threshold of 5. The drawback to such a wager is that it not only requires additional equipment such as electronic displays and counters to tally the dealer bust event for every player, but once the dealer starts to bust, the player has to stay and continue to play until the dealer either stops busting or reaches the predetermined threshold. Hence side wagers that cannot be resolved in one single hand or round of play require more supervision and cause inconveniences for the players. Further, because new players may enter the game during the dealer busting sequence, maintaining the tally for each player is difficult and likely to lead to disputes.

In Vancura, U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,917, there is disclosed a side wager for the player to make in addition to his or her base game wager in Blackjack. One embodiment describes the player as making a side wager based upon the number of “hits” the player will take in completing his or her hand. Players are paid for their side wager according to one of several suggested pay tables. One drawback to this game embodiment is that the side wager is either fixed, a percentage of the base wager, or confined within strict limits to counteract the effect of an advantage obtained by professional card counters. When the outcome of a side wager depends on the base wager or is confined within limits determined by the possible effects of card counting in a game where skill can impact the frequency and amount won such as Blackjack, most players will, with respect to the side wager, lose a disproportionate amount of the time. The strategy for this side wager will presumably comprise a set of 2- to N-card strategies, where N equals the maximum winning number of successful hits minus 1 and each multi-card strategy is a matrix composed of “hit or stand” rules based on the player's current hand total of 12 through 20 versus the Ten dealer up cards for a total of 90 rules times (N.times.2)!

Furthermore, since the base wager and the side wager are paid at different odds, the optimal strategy will vary with the ratio of the base wager to the side wager, thereby necessitating memorizing many more strategy deviations if the player wants to vary their wager size, which they often do. Thus the size of the side wager had better be a fixed amount or fraction of the base wager as stated in his claims 20 to 23.

Another embodiment described in Vancura is that the player may make one or more side wagers where he or she is attempting to predict the exact number of hits the dealer or player will take. If the player incorrectly predicts the exact number, e.g., the player wagers on two hits and the dealer only takes no hits, one hit or three or more hits, the player loses their side wager. There are several drawbacks to this side wager. First, the player must accurately and precisely predict the number of the dealer hits. If he does not so predict, the player loses their side wager. Second, the outcome of the side wager is also dependent upon the player hand. For the side wager where the player is predicting the number of dealer hits, exact prediction is required for the player to win their side wager. For the side wager on the number of player hits there is disclosed an “over” wager, i.e. three or more hits. Second, the outcome of the side wager is also dependent upon the player hand. Also, according to certain disclosed embodiments, if the player receives a natural Blackjack, the side wager is a push. This means the player will not have a chance to win the bet an additional 4.7% of the time (the statistical frequency of player Blackjack(s)). Also, the side wager either pushes or loses if the player exercises one of such options as surrender, double down and splitting. This further deprives the player of their chances to win the side wager an additional 12% of the time. The requirement to precisely predict the dealer's hits and the dependency of the outcome of the side wager on the player hand reduce the frequency that the player will win their side wager. If players do win or see other side wagers won relatively frequently, they may abandon the game or at least the side wager. Further, since precise prediction is required for side wagers based on the dealer's hand, players may become frustrated by infrequent wins of the side wager. As for wagers on the player's hand, often the player will be put into a situation where they must choose between winning their base wager and trying to win their side wager. This creates a stressful situation which may cause casual players to shun the side wager altogether. It is further noted that limiting the side the side wager to ⅕ of the base game wager not only reduces both the excitement and betting action for the player and the revenue for the casino, but it also creates difficulties in calculating the exact bet amount for the player and in calculating and making the payment for the dealer as well when the bet amount is not a multiple of 5. Imagine a player making a base wager of $17.

Another Blackjack-style game is known as “Spanish 21” as revealed in the Lofink U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,888 where all the “10s” are removed from the deck. The game plays like standard or normal blackjack although the odds are slightly worse for the player due to the removal of the 10s.

Yet another Blackjack-style game is known as “No Bust 21” or “21.sup.st Century Blackjack” where no hands can “bust.” If the player hand goes over 21, instead of losing their wager immediately as in traditional Blackjack, the player's wager remains in effect until the dealer plays out his hand. Unless the dealer's hand also goes over 21 and is closer to 21 than is the player hand, the player won't lose the wager.

Some Blackjack-style games have been adopted and played which provide for a side (“bonus”) wager that (1) the dealer will have a Blackjack, (2) the dealer's hand will have a certain combination of cards such as suited Queens, or (3) the dealer will take a certain number of hits, or (4) the dealer will bust.

A more recently disclosed method of play is presented in Patent Application No. US2003/0218303 by Walker, et al. The Walker application discloses games whereby a player can make side wagers on future hands.

Another recently disclosed method of play is presented in U.S. Patent Application No. US2003/0222400 by Collins, et al. In Collins, the casino makes the determination which cards may be split. In this case, the player splits Ace—eight hands.

Applicant submitted two patent applications in 2006 which disclose two other blackjack games with innovative side wagers. U.S. application Ser. Nos. 11/332,667 and 11/439,840 disclose games in which initially dealt Aces are split and payouts are based on subsequent cards dealt.

None of the games, patents, or patent applications described above presents the opportunity for the unique combination of significant payouts for the player, increased revenue for the casino, and relative simplicity while retaining the basic nature of Blackjack that the present invention comprises.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a method of playing live and electronic Blackjack games with an optional bonus side wager. In the interests of brevity, the instant game will be referred to as Supersplit 21 hereafter. The terms “Supersplit” and “Supersplit 21” are trademarked property of the applicant. Also, the terms “Blackjack” and “21” will be used interchangeably in this application as they are throughout the gaming industry. The optional bonus side wager in Supersplit 21 is made only once at the beginning of the hand and no further bonus wager is collected. The bonus wager game is essentially a play for a specific predetermined combination of cards a player has the possibility of receiving in the normal play of Blackjack utilizing split Aces as the foundation. The bonus wager game does not incentivize the player to make abnormal decisions in the game of Blackjack. The bonus wager game follows the basic strategy of always splitting Aces.

The essence of Supersplit 21 is the making of an optional bonus wager in the game of Blackjack where the player making the bonus wager is wagering that he or she will be dealt a combination of Aces and Face Cards. Face Cards are defined as Kings, Queens, and Jacks in accordance with the general conventions of the gaming industry and will be referred to as such throughout this specification. The overall goal is for the player to utilize split Aces as the foundation upon which the player is able to get to the higher levels of card combinations for the highest payouts.

Initially, the player is seeking to be dealt either two Face cards, an Ace and a Face card or two Aces in the first two cards dealt by the dealer. Depending on the structure of the payout hands, these cards may also be suited and/or colored and/or matched as to offer additional payout options.

For example, one schema may offer payouts with respect to the initial two cards dealt by the dealer for two Face cards, and Ace and a Face card, two matching Face cards, or two Aces. Or, another schema may offer payouts with respect to the initial two cards dealt by the dealer for two Face cards, and Ace and a Face card, two Aces or two suited Aces.

In order to advance to second level of payout beyond the initial two cards, the player must receive a pair of Aces in the initial two cards dealt by the dealer, which may be suited and/or colored and/or matched. These Aces are then split and re-split, if allowed. The decision to re-split will be made by the casino at which the game is being played. The side bet games created in the instant game allow for one split and three split options which are the two most widely used options in the casino industry. The Supersplit 21 game can also allow for other split options as disclosed in the following example.

A player plays the one split paytable on a table which allows multiple splits for three or four hands created by re-splitting of Aces. This game would payout on the “active Aces” which are defined as the initial or first two Aces only dealt by the dealer. This would allow a casino, for example, who has the rule in place for re-splitting of Aces two or three times, for three or four hands respectively, to play the single split paytable. It gives the casino a more a probable paytable to achieve as the probability of occurrence of the hands is more likely than in the multiple split paytable.

If the initially received Aces are split, and re-split (if allowed), the goal of the player is to receive Face cards (which may be suited and/or colored and/or matched) as hit cards on the split and/or resplit Aces. This game assumes that the house or casino will only allow one hit card per Ace. However, the game can be adapted to allow for more than one hit card per Ace.

The following examples are embodiments of how Supersplit 21 can be structured as a side bet/bonus game for 21 or Blackjack for a casino environment or other gaming venue. The predetermined payout hands, betting options, and payouts may be changed to achieve different results.

TABLE 1
Supersplit 21 ™
Mathematical Probability and Possible Paytables
Bonus Wager game in Blackjack
Six Decks
Aces allowed to be split once for a total of 2 hands.
Bonus Wager $1-$25
Initial two cards:	Payout	Win Frequency	Probability	Cost/$1 Unit to payout
Two Face Cards	3-1	20.42	.048973535	$.1959
Ace and Face Card	6-1	28.07	.035617116	$.2493
Two Identical Face Cards	15-1	269.53	.003710116	$.0594
Two Aces	25-1	289.63	.003452663	$.0898
Two Aces Must Be Split - One hit card per Ace
One Ace with a Face	50-1	513.91	.001945867	$.0992
Two Aces with Faces	200-1	3,489.95	.000286537	$.0576
JACKPOT HAND
Two Aces with Faces - All cards suited. ($25,000 max payout)
	2500-1	264,690.31	.000003778	$.0094
			.093989612	$.7606
	Theoretical advantage (1 − .7606) = 0.2394 or 23.94%
	Overall hit frequency 1 in 10.64 hands!

Another example of Supersplit 21 using eight decks and allowing Aces to split only once is shown in Table 2 below:

TABLE 2
Supersplit 21 ™
Mathematical Probability and Possible Paytables
Bonus Wager game in Blackjack
Eight Decks
Aces allowed to be split once for a total of 2 hands.
Bonus Wager $1-$25
Initial two cards:	Payout	Win Frequency	Probability	Cost/$1 Unit to payout
Two Face Cards	3-1	20.44	.048934198	$.1957
Ace and Face Card	6-1	28.10	.035588508	$.2491
Two Identical Face Cards	15-1	256.90	.003892493	$.0623
Two Aces	25-1	286.26	.003493364	$.0908
Two Aces Must Be Split
One Ace with a Face	50-1	510.23	.001959891	$.1000
Two Aces with Faces	200-1	3,462.58	.000288802	$.0580
JACKPOT HAND
Two Aces with Faces - All cards suited. ($25,000 max payout)
	2500-1	249,812.64	.000004003	$.0100
			.094161259	$.7659
	Theoretical advantage (1 − .7659) = 0.2341 or 23.41%
	Overall hit frequency 1 in 10.62 hands!

Some casinos allow Aces to be split up to three times (for four possible total hands) which results in the six deck game summarized in Table 3

TABLE 3
Supersplit 21 ™
Mathematical Probability and Possible Paytables
Bonus Wager game in Blackjack
Six Decks
Aces allowed to be split up to three times for
a maximum total of 4 hands.
Bonus Wager $1-$10
Initial two cards:	Payout	Win Frequency	Probability	$ Per Hand to payout
Two Face Cards	3-1	20.42	.048973535	$.195894
Ace and Face Card	5-1	28.07	.035617116	$.213703
Two Identical Face Cards	10-1	269.53	.003710116	$.040811
Two Aces	20-1	313.54	.003189390	$.066977
Two Aces Must Be Split - One hit card on all split Aces
Any Additional Aces Split a for a Max Total of Four Hands
One Ace with a Face	40-1	446.70	.002238625	$.091783
Two Aces with Faces	200-1	2187.02	.000402087	$.080819
Three Aces with Faces	3,000-1	69507.19	.000014387	$.043175
Four Aces with Faces	40,000-1	2,717,391.30	.000000368	$.014720
JACKPOT HAND
Four Aces with Faces - All cards suited. ($1,000,000 max payout)
	$1,000,000	166,666,666,666	6.18892E−12	$.000006
			.094145624	$.747888
	Theoretical advantage (1 − .747888) = 0.252112 or 25.21%
	Overall hit frequency 1 in 10.62 hands!

Another example of Supersplit 21 using eight decks and allowing Aces to split three times (for four possible hands) is shown in Table 4 below:

TABLE 4
Supersplit 21 ™
Mathematical Probability and Possible Paytables
Bonus Wager game in Blackjack
Eight Decks
Aces allowed to be split up to three times for
a maximum total of 4 hands.
Bonus Wager $1-$10
Initial two cards:	Payout	Win Frequency	Probability	$ Per Hand to payout
Two Face Cards	3-1	20.44	.048934198	$.195737
Ace and Face Card	5-1	28.10	.035588508	$.213531
Two Identical Face Cards	10-1	256.90	.003892493	$.042817
Two Aces	20-1	310.33	.003222391	$.067670
Two Aces Must Be Split - One hit card on all split Aces
Any Additional Aces Split a for a Max Total of Four Hands
One Ace with a Face	40-1	442.61	.002259331	$.092633
Two Aces with Faces	200-1	2,451.02	.000407993	$.082007
Three Aces with Faces	3,000-1	66,804.73	.000014969	$.044862
Four Aces with Faces	40,000-1	2,544,529.26	.000000393	$.015720
JACKPOT HAND
Four Aces with Faces - All cards suited. ($1,000,000 max payout)
	$1,000,000	100,000,000,000	9.79552E−12	$.000010
			.094320276	$.754987
	Theoretical advantage (1 − .754987) = 0.245013 or 24.50%
	Overall hit frequency 1 in 10.60 hands!

The tables shown above depict examples of how the game Supersplit 21 can be played to accrue to the benefit of the player and the casino or other gaming venue. Payouts can be modified as casinos see fit to attract more players or increase casino profits. In addition, casinos or other gaming venues can incorporate added payouts for Ace and Face cards being of the same suit, same color, or identical cards (i.e. matched).

While the above disclosed bonus game contemplates playing the game as an adjunct to a standard game of 21 or blackjack, it is also easily adaptable to other non-standard 21 games such as Spanish 21. Probabilities and paytables are different for such non-standard 21 games and would have to be derived and calculated for any such non-standard game.

The following rules for Supersplit 21 have been created for the player to understand the game better:

• • 1. Supersplit 21 is played within the regular game of 21. The Supersplit 21 bettor is attempting to receive specific card combinations of Aces and/or Face Cards as posted in the paytable without regard to beating the dealer's hand.
  • 2. Face Cards are defined as Jacks, Queens or Kings.
  • 3. Supersplit 21 begins with each player placing a wager on the mandatory Ante Bet for the standard 21 game. The player also may choose to place a wager on the Supersplit 21 sidebet. The Supersplit 21 wager can be in amounts within the posted paytable.
  • 4. If the Supersplit 21 bettor achieves in the first two cards dealt by the dealer a combination of cards as defined in the posted paytable, the bettor receives a payout based on the paytable.
  • 5. If the Supersplit 21 bettor receives a pair of Aces:
    • I. and the dealer has Blackjack, the bettor receives a payout based on a pair of Aces as defined in the paytable for the first two cards. In this instance, the hand is over.
    • II. and the dealer does not have blackjack, the bettor may split the Aces in the hope of receiving Face hit cards to achieve a higher level of payout as defined in the paytable.
    • III. and the dealer does not have blackjack, and the Supersplit 21 player chooses not to split the Aces, the bettor receives a payout based on a pair of Aces as defined in the paytable for the first two cards dealt by the dealer.
  • 6. If a Supersplit 21 player splits a pair of Aces, he/she must match his/her original Ante Bet within the standard 21 rules. No additional Supersplit 21 wager is collected.
  • 7. For any Supersplit 21 bettor, the required sequence rule for all payouts higher than the first two cards dealt by the dealer, is to receive a pair of Aces, which need to be split with appropriate Face hit cards.
  • 8. All payouts are non-cumulative. A Supersplit 21 player is paid out at the highest payout level achieved.

Claims

1. A method of playing a computerized or live card game with a dealer, at least one player, and two or more standard decks of cards comprising of the steps of:

a. a player placing a bet for a standard 21 or blackjack game wherein Aces are allowed to be split only once,

b. the same player as in (a) above placing an additional side bet with the goal of being dealt combinations of Aces and/or Face cards (Kings, Queens, or Jacks) in the first two cards,

c. if the player in (b) is dealt two Face cards or an Ace and a Face card, the casino pays off according to a pre-established scheme for achieving those cards in the first two cards,

d. if two Aces are dealt to the player in (b), the player spits those two Aces into two separate hands, and then is dealt an additional hit card for each of the two split hands and continues playing 21 or blackjack in each of two separate hands,

e. if Face cards (Kings, Queens, or Jacks) are dealt to the player in (d) above, the casino pays off according to a pre-established scheme for the final hands that are created by the split of the initial two Aces.

2. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 1 where the Face cards are identical.

3. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 1 where the Aces are of the same suit.

4. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 1 where the Face cards received as the hit cards on split Aces are of the same suit.

5. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 1 where the Suited Aces and Suited Face hit cards on the split Aces are of the same suit.

6. A method of playing a computerized or live card game with a dealer, at least one player, and four or more standard decks of cards comprising of the steps of:

a. a player placing a bet for a standard 21 or blackjack game wherein Aces are allowed to be split two or more times,

b. the same player as in (a) above placing an additional side bet with the goal of being dealt combinations of Aces and/or Face cards in the first two cards,

c. if the player in (b) is dealt two Face cards or and Ace and a Face card, the casino pays off according to a pre-established scheme for achieving those cards in the first two cards,

d. if two Aces are dealt to the player in (b), the player spits those two Aces into two separate hands, and then is dealt an additional hit card for each of the two split hands and continues playing 21 or blackjack in each of two separate hands,

e. if additional Aces are dealt to the player in (d) above, the player splits the hand with the additional Aces (split 2 and further split 3) and continues playing 21 or blackjack with the goal of being dealt Face hit cards on the split Aces.

f. if Face cards (jacks, queens or kings) are dealt to the player in (d) and/or (e) above, the casino pays off according to a pre-established scheme for the final hands that are created by the split of the initial two Aces and possible re-split of additional Aces.

7. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 6 where the Face cards are identical.

8. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 6 where the Aces are of the same suit.

9. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 6 where the Face cards received as the hit cards on split Aces are of the same suit.

10. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 6 where the Suited Aces and Suited Face hit cards on the split Aces are of the same suit.

11. A method of playing a computerized or live card game with a dealer, at least one player, and two or more standard decks of cards comprising of the steps of:

a. a player placing a bet for a non-standard 21 or blackjack game wherein Aces are allowed to be split one or more times,

b. the same player as in (a) above placing an additional side bet with the goal of being dealt combinations of Aces and/or Face cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) in the first two cards,

c. if the player in (b) is dealt two Face cards or an Ace and a Face card, the casino pays off according to a pre-established scheme for achieving those cards in the first two cards,

d. if two Aces are dealt to the player in (b), the player spits those two Aces into two separate hands, and then is dealt an additional hit card for each of the two split hands and continues playing 21 or blackjack in each of two separate hands,

e. if Face cards (Kings, Queens, or Jacks) are dealt to the player in (d) above, the casino pays off according to a pre-established scheme for the final hands that are created by the split of the initial two Aces.

12. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 11 where the Face cards are identical.

13. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 11 where the Aces are of the same suit.

14. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 11 where the Face cards received as the hit cards on split Aces are of the same suit.

15. A method of playing a computerized or live card game as in claim 11 where the Suited Aces and Suited Face hit cards on the split Aces are of the same suit.